images

JWST Mirror

by

NASA/Novapix

Reference

e-sou05-90131

Date

2020-09-11

In a recent test, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope fully deployed its primary mirror into the same configuration it will have when in space.
In order to perform the groundbreaking science expected of Webb, its primary mirror needs to be so large that it cannot fit inside any rocket available in its fully extended form. Performed in early March 2020, this test involved commanding the spacecraft’s internal systems to fully extend and latch Webb’s iconic 6.5 meter (21 feet 4-inch) primary mirror.